How Long Do Hummingbirds Live? Lifespan and Records

How long do ruby-throated hummingbirds live?

The ruby-throated hummingbird of eastern North America usually lives for a few years. Adults that survive their first year commonly live about 3–5 years, and some live longer. The oldest one known from banding was a female at least 9 years and 1 month old.

There is a clear difference between the sexes. Almost all ruby-throats known to be 7 years or older are females, and males rarely live past about 5. Males lose weight during the breeding season while defending territories and performing energetic courtship dives, then must face migration, which probably takes a heavy toll.

Why are hummingbird lifespans surprising?

For an animal that weighs about 3 g (0.1 oz) and has a heart beating over 1,000 times a minute, these lifespans are remarkably long. Small mammals of similar weight, such as shrews, rarely live more than 2 years.

Birds in general live longer than mammals of the same size, and hummingbirds fit this pattern. Scientists think good defenses against cell damage and the ability to save energy with torpor on cold nights may help, although the full explanation is still being studied.

The dangerous first year

Most hummingbirds never reach adulthood. The riskiest time is in the nest and the first weeks after leaving it, when young birds are clumsy fliers and do not yet know where to find food.

Eggs and nestlings are taken by blue jays, crows, squirrels, chipmunks and snakes, and storms can blow nests down. Young birds then face their first migration alone, often thousands of kilometers to Mexico or Central America, with no adult to guide them. Ruby-throats that cross the Gulf of Mexico must fly about 800 km (500 mi) without stopping, as described in where do hummingbirds go in winter?

Once a bird survives its first year and learns where to find food and how to avoid danger, its chances of living several more years rise sharply.

What kills adult hummingbirds?

Few predators can catch a healthy hummingbird in flight, but they are vulnerable when perched, feeding or asleep. Known threats include:

• Small hawks and falcons, such as sharp-shinned hawks, merlins and American kestrels
• Domestic cats, which ambush hummingbirds at flowers and feeders
• Large praying mantises and orb-weaving spiders, which occasionally catch them at flowers or in webs
• Window collisions, a major cause of death for many small birds
• Bad weather, especially cold snaps when flowers and insects are scarce, and storms during migration

Loss of habitat and flowering plants and the decline of insects also make life harder. Their high-energy lifestyle leaves little margin, which is why hummingbirds rely on frequent meals; see what do hummingbirds eat?

Longevity records of North American hummingbirds

Records come from bird banding, in which licensed researchers fit tiny numbered leg bands and recapture the birds in later years. The ages below are minimum ages, because a bird first banded as an adult was already at least one year old.

The record broad-tailed hummingbird was banded as an adult and caught again 11 years later. That is extraordinary for such a small bird, but it is an exception: typical lifespans of North American species are probably about 3–5 years.

How can you tell a young hummingbird from an adult?

In late summer, many of the hummingbirds visiting gardens are young birds of that year. Juveniles have fine buffy or pale edges to the feathers on the back and head, which make them look slightly scaly up close. Young male ruby-throats resemble females, often with a few dark streaks or a single red feather on the throat, and only grow the full red gorget during their first winter molt.

Banders also look at the bill. A young hummingbird’s upper bill has tiny grooves or ripples along the side, which gradually smooth out over its first months. Once a bird reaches adult plumage and a smooth bill, its exact age cannot be judged by eye, which is why banding records matter so much.

How hummingbird lifespans are measured

Banding hummingbirds requires special training and a federal permit in the United States and Canada, because their legs are so small. Banders record each bird’s species, sex, age, weight and fat level, then release it unharmed.

Each time a banded bird is caught again, often at the same garden or feeding site years later, it adds a data point. Banding has shown that many hummingbirds return to the same breeding and wintering spots year after year, a strong sign of their excellent memory. Because hummingbirds use the same small territories, banders can follow some individuals for many seasons. The life of a hummingbird can be short, but it is packed with long journeys; how they survive cold nights along the way is explained in how do hummingbirds sleep?